This invention relates to exercise machines.
The frames of some kinds of exercise machines, e.g., a rowing machine, are made of long, heavy rigid metal pieces which are strong enough to support a seated user and to withstand the forces and motion which occur during exercise. Places are provided on the frame for the user to rest his feet.
In the invention, exercising is made more comfortable and effective by providing a foot rest that has a front end which holds the ball of the user""s foot fixed and a back end that both cradles the user""s heel and allows the user to pivot his heel around the ball of his foot in a natural manner. The frame of the machine can be easily and repeatedly taken apart and put back together because it has two arms which mate at a connector that can be mated and unmated by simple pivoting of the two arms.
Thus, in general, in one aspect, rowing is made more comfortable and effective by providing a rowing machine in which the footrest has a front end for holding the foot portion of a rower""s foot substantially fixed relative to the frame of the machine, and a back end for cradling the heel of the rower""s foot. The back end is movable relative to the front end to permit the rower to pivot the heel of his foot relative to the front portion of his foot.
Implementations of the invention may include the following features. The back end may be a flexible strap that slides in a channel in the front end to permit adjustment for foot length. The adjustment may be enabled by a post in the front end and a series of holes along the length of the strap. The hole fit over the post to fix the position of the back end relative to the front end.
The back end of the foot rest may include a cross strap which resists backward sliding of the rower""s foot and which defines a window for receiving the heel of the rower""s shoe. The back end may provide some degree of resistance to pivoting of the rower""s heel. The back end may cradle the rower""s heel against lateral movement.
In general, in another aspect, the invention features an exercise machine which is easily stored and set up for use, the machine frame having two beams which mate at a joint configured to allow the two beams to be quickly and repeatedly put together and taken apart. Each beam is supported at an end opposite the joint, and the unsupported end of each beam tends to fall, by force of gravity, about the supported end when the beams are not mated. The joint includes mating mechanical elements on the beams (e.g., a pair of pins and a pair of hooks) which cooperate when mated to lock the unsupported ends to each other to the tendency of the beams to fall. The joint is unlocked by reverse pivoting at least one of the beams about its supported end.
Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.